Light in the Darkness
by Beautiful Longing
Summary: After a tedious war against Voldemort, Harry is fianlly victorious, but he still feels a sense of loss. Hermione and Ginny have gone mentally insane from a traumatic experience that no one but them know about. Is love enough to bring them back?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer and A/N: I own nothing!! R/R y'all and tell me what ya think! Oh yea, and when giving constructive critism, PLZ PLZ PLZ try to be nice. Oh and C.C totally fine! Just be nice! lolz happy reading!!  
  
  
  
The war was over. Voldemort had been defeated in the final showdown, but Harry still felt a sense of defeat. Hermione and Ginny were missing and had been for three weeks. All exept Harry, Ron, Fred, and George had given up hope. The days were long and growing ever longer. Harry sat motionless at the kitchen table in the Burrow. He stared out at the dark night sky, tears rimming his emerald eyes. He looked up at a particular star that held his eye.  
  
"Please be alive. Come back to us Hermione and Ginny. It's just not the same without you." he whispered now crying. He lingered there for a little while longer, debating whether or not he should go to bed. A loud crash outside scared him. He jumped from the table and ran upstairs to get his wand. In doing so, he awoke Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron. They followed him back down the stairs and to the door, wands in their hands.  
  
"Harry, why are we sneaking to the door?" Ron whispered gripping his wand tighter.  
  
"I heard something. Be ready to fight!" he answered whispering harshly.  
  
"I'm going to go wake up Arthur! Be careful kids!" Mrs. Weasley whispered , running back up the stairs.  
  
"Ready?" Harry asked, looking at them. They all nodded mutely. "When I open the door, be ready to fire." he said pausing. "Ok, now!" he yelled throwing open the door. They stood there, wands raised at an empty porch.  
  
"I don't see anything! Come one, let's go look out further." Fred said, pushing to the front.  
  
"Yea, come on!" George agreed following Fred. Harry and Ron followed them out the door. Suddenly, another crash to the right startled them.  
  
"Over there!" Harry whispered, running toward the noise.  
  
"Lumos!" Ron said, sheding light over the porch. In a corner far to the right, two shivering bodies were huddled together.  
  
"Who are you? Speak up now!" Fred asked, walking to the two huddled masses. "Ron, come closer with the light." Ron followed the instuction. Once within five feet of the strangers, the boys now noticed that they were, in fact, not strangers.  
  
"It can't be!" George gasped, putting his hand over his mouth.  
  
"This can't be real!" Ron laughed disbelievingly, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"Please let it be real." Harry whispered, walking slowly towards Hermione and Ginny, who backed away in fear.   
  
"Ginny, Hermione, it's just us. Don't you recognize us?" George asked coming closer to them. Hermione stared at him for a second, studying his face. As he took another step closer, terror filled her eyes and she quickly backed away.  
  
"What's wrong with them?" Harry asked, staring numbly at them, tears falling from his eyes.  
  
"I don't know! They act like they don't know us." George said, carefully watching the girls.  
  
"Let's get them inside." Fred said, taking a step toward the girls again. "Ginny, it's me, Fred, you'r older brother. Don't you remember?" he whispered, watching with horror as Ginny backed further away, terror evident on her face.  
  
"They really don't remember us!" Ron gasped. About five minutes later, Mrs. Weasley popped outside.  
  
"Who or what was it dears?" she asked, but stopped when she layed her eyes on Hermione and Ginny.  
  
"Ginny! My dear baby daughter! Thank MERLIN you're okay!" she cried, running towards her, arms spread. Ginny expelled a terrified scream before running behind Hermione, who too was terrified. "What's wrong with my baby?" Mrs. Weasley cried, tears filling her eyes.  
  
"She doesn't remember us, Mum. Neither does Hermione." Ron explained, placing a hand on her shoulder. Mrs. Weasley sniffled a few times before disappearing into the house.  
  
"We should at least attempt to get them inside." Fred decided. "Hermione, Ginny, why don't you come inside? We're not going to hurt you. Just please come with us." he continued, whispering to them like you would a little girl.  
  
"Please come with us. Trust me, it's more dangerous out here." Ron jumped in. Hermione and Ginny shared a thoughful glance before slowly making their way towards the boys.  
  
"We're not going to hurt you. Come on." George coazed. When the girls finally reached the boys, they still refuse to be taken inside.  
  
"Come inside, please." Fred whispered, reaching out for Ginny. Giving him a doubtful look, she finally allowed him to carefully pull her inside. Hermione watched in confusion. Once Ginny was fully inside, Hermione allowed George to walk her inside. Mrs. Weasley sat at the kitchen table, tears still trickling down her cheeks. Hearing the noise, she looked up. Her eyes began to shine with hope.  
  
"You got them inside!" she gasped.  
  
"Yea, but they still don't remember us." Fred answered, sitting Ginny in a chair. Mrs. Weasley nodded before slowly walking to Hermione.  
  
"Would you like some tea, dear?" she asked, bending to see her face. Hermione gave a slight nod before taking a seat next to Ginny. It was now in the light of the house that the boys could see how horrible the girls looked. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood. Their eyes sunk deep into their ghastly pale faces. Their hair hung matted to their scalp in strings of blood and dirt. They were bony from loss of food and their eyes shone fear, confusion, and anger in place of the happiness and joy that once was.  
  
"They're not the same Hermione and Ginny we once knew are they?" Harry asked, finally speaking. He stood in front of Ginny, who looked at him warily, tears streaming down his face.  
  
"No. I have a feeling they're not." Mrs. Weasley answered, handing the girls their tea. "We should take them to St. Mungos to see why they're acting like this." At this, they all nodded.  
  
"Where's dad? I thought you were going to wake him." Ron asked, noticing his father's absense.  
  
"Oh, he said he would be down in a minute. What he's doing, I have no idea!" she answered, waving her hand at the stairs. Ron nodded, placing his head down.  
  
"Come on. We've got to get them to bed." Fred said, standing up.  
  
"Yea, it's getting late." George agreed.  
  
"How though? You know how hard it was just getting them to come in here!" Ron asked, glancing at Hermione and Ginny.  
  
"We'll figure something out." Mrs.Weasley answered, putting the empty cups in the sink.  
  
"We can at least try." Fred shrugged.  
  
"Ginny, Hermione, you girls need some rest. Why don't you come with us?" Mrs. Weasley coaxed, but Hermione shook her head violently.  
  
"Come on Hermione. Please?" George tried, lightly grabbing her arm. Hermione looked at him, as if studying him as before. She allowed him to gently pull her up from her seat and lead her into the sitting room. Ginny quickly got up on her own and followed. Laying on either end of the couch, they let themselves be covered in blankets. Within minutes, both girls were asleep.  
  
"I wonder why they have no memory of us." Harry wondered aloud.  
  
"How did they get here in the first place?" Ron asked, watching the sleeping girls.  
  
"Maybe they didn't fully forget us. Like, some where deep inside, they know who we are. They just, maybe, oh, I don't know!" George guessed, throwing his hands in the air.  
  
"We'll find out tomorrow when we take them to St. Mungos. Until then, I want all of you to go back to sleep. I'll sit here with the girls." Mrs. Weasley answered, shooing the boys to bed. Once they were all upstairs, Mrs. Weasley looked up to the same star that Harry looked to earlier and whispered, "Please, protect my girls. Let them remember." 


	2. Ch 2:Bring Them Back

"AHHHHHH!" A scream tore through the silent house. Loud bangs and crashes could be heard downstairs as the boys, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, ran down the stairs. Once down there, they saw Hermione and Ginny crouched down behind the sofa, tears streaming down their flushed faces.  
  
"What's wrong Hermione? Ginny?" Fred asked, slowly making his way to the girls. "Why are you crying?"  
  
"mmm....mmmm" Ginny stuttered, pointing to the window. George walked to the window, and took a peek outside.   
  
"It's only Errol. He must have ran into the window again." he dismissed, picking up the letter the unconscious owl carried. "It's from Dumbledore!" he cried, tearing it open.  
  
"Is it about Hermione and Ginny?" Harry asked, running over.  
  
"Yes, it explains why they don't remember us. Read it!" he answered, handing the letter to Molly.  
  
Dear Weasleys,  
  
I am guessing that Miss Granger and Miss Weasley have already arrived at your home. I am also guessing you would like to know as to why they have no memory of you. Before Voldemort was killed, he had a team of death-eaters hiding to avenge his death, if he were to die. They were hidden just inside the Forbidden Forest, watching the entire battle. After they witnessed Harry kill Voldemort, they charged straight for Harry, only to be intercepted by Ginny and Hermione. Of course Voldemort had told them about those close to Harry, so they took the girls prisoner. We only recently discovered their headquarters and rescued the girls, but I regret to inform you that they may never recover from the trauma they were subjected to. It is believed all the unforgivable curses, save one, were performed on them countless times. I had the girls sent to you because I believe they have a chance to recover, but only with the help of those who love them. They have 'retreated' to the backs of their minds to escape the memories of the torture. I believe only love can bring them back. I am deeply sorry and wish you all the best.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Albus Dumbledore.  
  
No one spoke a word as Molly finished the letter. They all stared dumbly as Molly folded the letter and placed it back inside its envelope.  
  
"We can help them. I just know we can. It might take a while, but we can bring them back." Harry said, determined, tears slowly falling.  
  
"I believe we can too! It's going to take a lot of patience and love, but it's possible. We'll have them back soon enough." George agreed, nodding solemnly.  
  
"mmmm....mmmm" Ginny said, standing up. She slowly made her way to Harry, but paused for a moment. With a shaking hand, she reached up and gently wiped his tears from his face. A slight smile appeared on her face, but only for a second. Quickly, she retreated back to the safety of the sofa. Harry stood there dumbfounded.   
  
"This is a start." he said, replacing his tears with a smile.   
  
"What do we do now?" Ron asked, turning towards his mother.   
  
"Love them, be patient, and show them it's over." she answered, smiling slightly. "You boys can do it. I have faith in you."  
  
"Come on dear. Let's go make breakfast." Arthur said, pulling Molly into the kitchen.  
  
"Hermione?" George asked, noticing she hadn't moved from her spot at all. She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. "Maybe she has some memory left. After all, this IS Hermione." he joked, giving a slight chuckle.   
  
"Let's get them upstairs so they can at least bathe." Fred suggested.  
  
"I would like to see you try!" Ron laughed, smacking his brother on the arm. Fred gave a wry smile, punching him back.  
  
"N....n......no." Hermione stuttered, standing up. The boys stared at her for second, eyes growing wide.  
  
"You....you talked!" George gasped, a smile beginning to form. Hermione took a tiny step towards him, before loosing her balance. She fell to the ground with a thud. George ran to her aid, but she fought him, screaming and tearing at his face. "Hermione! It's me! George! I'm not going to hurt you!" he said, struggling to calm her down. She finally grew tired and stopped fighting. Settling into his arms, she began to fall asleep. "I'll take her upstairs, you guys get Ginny." he said, picking Hermione's sleeping form up.  
  
"We'll try!" Fred laughed, but before he could begin to approach Ginny, she jumped to her feet and followed George upstairs. "Well, that was easier than I thought!" he smiled, clapping his hands together. "I say we did a job well done!" Harry and Ron stared at him for a moment before rolling their eyes and making their way upstairs. 


End file.
